The Federal High Court in Abuja has set a deadline of January 25 for the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to personally appear in court and provide an explanation regarding the $53 million judgment debt related to the Paris Club refund.
According to The PUNCH, Justice Inyang Ekwo made this ruling on Wednesday and warned that a warrant for Emefiele’s arrest would be issued if he fails to appear.
Emefiele’s lawyer, Audu Anuga (SAN), stated that all attempts to secure his client’s presence in court had been unsuccessful, as he was still in custody.
This legal action stems from a garnishee proceeding initiated by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Joe Agi, aimed at recovering a judgment debt of $70 million from Linas International Limited and the Minister of Finance, with the CBN involved in the matter.
According to a court document, specifically Form 15 (Judgment Summons), subsequent to the garnishee order absolute, the Central Bank of Nigeria had made a partial payment of the $70 million judgment debt, resulting in a remaining balance of $53 million.
Justice Ekwo had previously issued multiple orders for Emefiele to appear in court regarding this case.
During the proceedings on Wednesday, Emefiele’s attorney, Anuga, notified the judge that on Monday, he had submitted an affidavit to provide reasons why an arrest warrant should not be issued against Emefiele.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, a legal officer in the Legal Department of the CBN, Jeremiah Utaan, submitted an affidavit supporting Emefiele’s case. In the affidavit, he explained that he was unable to appear in court as he had been in the custody of the Department of State Services since June 10.
“I verily believe that the cause of justice will not be served should the honourable court proceed to issue a warrant for the arrest of Godwin Emefiele,” he said.
Subsequently, the judge inquired with the judgment creditor’s counsel, I.A. Nnana, regarding whether he had received the court summons. Nnana confirmed that he was served on Monday but requested additional time to prepare a response.
In response to this request, Justice Ekwo firmly emphasized that disregarding court orders would not be tolerated and maintained his stance that Emefiele must make a personal appearance before the court.
“In this case, I have given this particular person so much liberty, so much leniency and the situation does not seem to change.
“I will adjourn the matter because the other side says they want to react to the process, so there is not much talk.
“Orders of court must be complied with and even if no one complies with the order of the court, the court must comply with its order.
“I will give you sufficient time.”
The judge then decided to adjourn the case to January 25, providing Emefiele with an opportunity to present reasons for why an arrest warrant should not be issued against him.
